Johansson Family

Johan Petter and Greta Johansson were the parents of Johan Alfred Rinell who with his wife, Hedvig, was a missionary to China.

1. Johan Petter Johansson (October 1817 - ????), born in Harstad parish, Sweden, married Greta Andersson (April 17, 1825 - ????).

Johan was a small farmer on a farm named Krokebo in Rinna in the southern part of Rinna parish near Östergötland parish near the city of Mjölby. He moved to the farm in 1849. About six years after moving to Krokebo he married Greta Andersson in 1855 who was about thirty years old. She was born in Kimme, Sweden.

To the best of our knowledge he and his wife had at least five and maybe six children: Matilda, Augusta, August, Johanna, a son whose name we do not know, and Johan Alfred. All grew up on the farm, Krokebo. All the children became farmers or were married to farmers except the son whose name we do not know who died young, and Johan Alfred who became a missionary to China, leaving Sweden in 1893.

On Friday, 11 August 1899 a local weekly newspaper, …stergštlands Veckoblad …stgšta-Posten, Nr 32, gave notice of the auction of Krokebo. We do not know at this time that it was the Johansson family who were auctioning their farm or a family named 'Bergshind'.This can probably be verified through official Swedish records. The notice on page 4 under a heading of Måndag 14 Augusti [Monday the 14 August] reads:

Rinna s:n, Bergslund under Krokebo,
kl. e.m. auktion å byggnader,
växande gröda och lösegendom

The above translates roughly as:

Rinna Parish, Bergslund in Krokebo,
At p.m. auction on buildings,
growing crops and personal belongings.

Over a hundred years later descendants of Johan Peter and Greta, namely Lally Rinell and Meilynn Smith, visited the farm of Krokebo. The original farm house no longer existed, but the outline of the foundations of the house could be seen outlined under the grass.

We will assume at this time that Petter and Greta's children took the name 'Johansson' though the girls of the family may have taken the name of their father's first name and appended 'dotter' or daughter as was the custom for many centuries.

1.1 Matilda Johansson (September 5, 1857 - ????) married Edward Anderson (???? - ????). They lived in Sya outside Mjöby.

Oscar Rinell and Egron Rinell both stayed with their aunts Mathilda in Sya, Augusta in Stensnäs, Johanna in Jordsfälla before they started their studies in Bethelseminariet in Stockholm.

1.3.1 Hildur Johansson (???? - ????).

1.3.2 Einar Johansson (???? - ????).

1.3.3 Sven Johansson (???? - ????).

1.3.4 Alice Johansson (???? - ????). Alice, apparently, lived for a time in Ekeby, Nerka, Sweden.

1.2 Augusta Johansson (???? - ????) married church warden (and farmer?) Gustav Swenson. Before she was married apparently, lived in Stensnäs, Rinna, Sweden. We don't know in what order Augusta was born in the family.

Home of Augusta (Johansson) Gustav Swensson

Oscar Rinell and Egron Rinell both stayed with their aunts Mathilda in Sya, Augusta in Stensnäs, Johanna in Jordsfälla before they started their studies in Bethelseminariet in Stockholm.

1.3 August Johansson (1861 - ????) married ???? (???? - ????).

1.3.1 Ebba Peterson (???? - ????) was adopted and kept the last name she was born with. We do not know exactly when Ebba was born, but she was said to be 91 years old in 1978.

Ebba's address at one time was:

Bondegatan 1
Mjöby
Sweden

1.4 Johanna Maria Johansson (September 5, 1864 - ????) married a Johansson (???? - ????). Johanna at one time lived in Jordsfälla, Mjöby, Sweden.

Oscar Rinell and Egron Rinell both stayed with their aunts Mathilda in Sya, Augusta in Stensnäs, Johanna in Jordsfälla before they started their studies in Bethelseminariet in Stockholm.

They had four children: Karl, Judith, David and Egron.

1.2.1 Karl Johansson (???? - ????).

1.2.2 Judith Johansson (1892 - 1977). Judith was from Jordsfälle. Meilynn Smith visited the graves of Judith and her brothers David and Egron along with her cousin Rune Axeslsson.

1.2.3 David Johansson (1895 - 1984). David was from Jordsfälle.

1.2.4 Egron Johansson (1898 - 1978). married Ruth (1909 - 1982) who was from Småland. Egron and Rut had a farm in Jordsfälle.

1.2.4.1 Rune Axelsson (???? - ) married Siv (???? - ). They live in Jordsfälle, Sweden.

1.5 A son (???? - ????) who died early, possibly by choking on something.

1.6 Johan Alfred Johansson (November 27, 1866 - July 3, 1941) who in 1891 changed his last name to Rinell after the name of his parish 'Rinna'. He married Hedvig Lovisa Jansson (October 12, 1867 - August 17, 1962) who was born in Skyttorp, Uppland 3 in the Tensta4 parish of Sweden. Johan Alfred and Hedvig had five children, all born in China: Egron, Oscar, Margaret, Edith and Eric.

For more information on the family see:

(1866-88) Beginnings in Sweden

and

Rinell Family: Descendants of Johan Alfred and Hedvig Lovisa